Acne vulgaris is an inflammatory disease of the sebaceous glands characterized by an eruption of the skin, often pustular in nature but not suppurative. Acne is a common affliction of the adolescent and affects a small but significant percentage of the adult population. Acne involvement results in unslightly lesions, particularly on the face, and in some cases results in severe scarring.
There are a variety of methods for treating acne vulgaris including topically applying various scrubbing or abrasive compositions, topically applying deep cleaning or astringent compositions and also applying ultraviolet radiation. Nevertheless, acne vulgaris is seldom cured and only can be contained with difficulty.
Nicotinic acid and nicotinamide, water soluble vitamins, whose physiological active forms nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP) serve a vital role as coenzymes in a variety of important metabolic reactions. Nicotinic acid is an essential dietary constituent, the lack of which leads to pellagra, a condition characterized by an erythematous skin eruption as well as gastrointestinal and neurological symptoms. Nicotinic acid and nicotinamide have been used routinely to treat pellagra for which they are therapeutic.
Nicotinic acid as well as nicotinamide are available from a variety of pharmaceutical houses such as Armor Pharmaceutical Company located in Phoenix, Ariz.; Brown Pharmaceutical Company Inc. located in Los Angeles, Calif.; and Keith Pharmaceutical Inc. located in Miami, Fla.
Although the above noted uses for nicotinic acid and nicotinamide are well documented, in addition, these vitamins have been used unsuccessfully in treatment of schizophrenia and atherosclerotic heart disease.
I have found surprisingly that nicotinic acid and nicotinamide are useful in the treatment of acne vulgaris by administering a therapeutically amount either topically or orally; I have also found that combinations of nicotinic acid and nicotinamide with certain chemical agents known to be effective in treating acne are more effective in treating acne than would be expected by treatment with the individual agents themselves. Such formulations include combinations of nicotinic acid or nicotinamide and sulfur, salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, vitamin A acid, erythromycin base, clindamycin phosphate and tetracycline hydrochloride.